Byron divides his time between his mother and the Hansons at Earl's Court.

End of Summer

Byron accompanies CGB to Cheltenham.

There he visits the Malvern Hills, which remind him of the Scottish Highlands.

August 4

Drs. Baillie and Laurie visit Byron at his mother's lodgings to fit his shoe/brace.

September

Byron returns to London, and CGB travels on to Brighton.

Due to the efforts of Hanson, Byron receives a yearly 500 Court of Chancery grant for his education; but as a result, CGB's Civil List pension is reduced to 200.

Dr. Laurie's bill alone comes to 150 a year.

His mother gives up the entire sum of the Chancery Court payments to her son, and applies for an allowance for herself of 200. This is not granted, and her pension from the Civil List is reduced to 200 when the grant of 500 is made to Byron (74, 89).

October 18

After the death of her grandmother, Lady Holderness, CGB writes Augusta Byron a brief condolence letter.

The motion was defeated by 178 to 49 on May 14; and a similar motion by Fox in the commons went down by 336 to 126 on the 15th. (1.67).

June 6

Byron participates in Speech Day at Harrow, reciting the dramatic speech of Zanga over the body of Alonzo from Young's tragedy The Revenge, which was then being played by Kemble to applauding audiences.

Byron may have seen the play while he was in London.

Byron wishes Augusta to come, but he waits too long before inviting her.

Saturday, June 29

Byron possibly visits the Hansons on his way to Cambridge.

July 1

Byron visits Cambridge to enter himself at Trinity College.

July 4

Byron participates in Speech day at Harrow.

Byron proclaims a passionate speech from King Lear, but his name is left off of Speech Day account sheet. Augusta is unable to attend.

July 31

Summer Holidays commence at Harrow.

August 2

Byron plays in cricket match with Eton, where according to his letter to Augusta, he "got 11 notches in the 1st Innings and 7 the 2d.. which was more than any of our side, except Brockman and Ipswich could contrive to hit" (1.71).

After dinner and drinking, Byron visits Haymarket Theatre where members of both teams end up in the same box and are so loud that they almost begin a brawl with the other playgoers who cannot hear the drama.

August 3

Byron sets off for Southwell at 8 in the evening.

August 4

Byron arrives at Southwell, and his quarrels with CGB recommence.

End of August

Mary Chaworth marries John Musters.

September 23

Byron flees Southwell for Hanson's in London, arriving the next day.

October 24

Byron takes up residence at Trinity College, Cambridge, at the start of the autumn term. Friendships with E. N. Long and John Edleston.

December 18/19?

Byron begins his Christmas vacation, which he spends at Massingbred's in London.

December 27

Byron writes Augusta that he is in dire need of money, and asking her to act as his collateral guarantor in an arrangement with London money-lenders.

1806

January

Byron borrows from King, a usuror, at ruinous interest; Mrs. Massingbred and her daughter act as joint guarantors of his loan since Byron was still in his minority.

February

The new Cambridge term begins on Feb. 5, but Byron chooses to remain in London.

He takes fencing lessons from Henry Angelo and boxing from Gentleman Jackson.

Byron engages in dissipations.

February 26

Byron finally receives his loan from the money-lenders and pays his Harrow and some Cambridge debts.

February 28

Augusta sees Byron at a play, and she writes of her frustration that he is not at school.

March 2

Thrown from his horse, Byron is unconscious for a time, but recovers.

Byron writes Hanson that he will not return to Cambridge for the Winter Term since he "ha[s] been extremely unwell" (90).

March 10

Byron, having spent his loan, appeals to Hanson for 500 to cover his debts.

April

Byron returns to Trinity, having been warned by Hanson that the Court of Chancery might cut off his allowance if he does not return to school.

July

At Southwell, Byron and CGB quarrel over his extravagances at Cambridge and London and his arrangements with the money-lenders.

Byron prepares a volume of poems, having arranged to print them with John Ridge of Newark.

August 7

After a quarrel with his mother, Byron--aided by the Pigots--leaves for London in the middle of the night.

August 8

CGB arrives at Byron's rooms with the Massingbreds, intending to discover the extent of her son's obligations.

August 10

Byron has the printer deliver to Elizabeth Pigot a copy of one of his poems (or the whole volume?) from his volume, Fugitive Pieces, currently at the printer Ridge's.

Byron suspends printing while he visits Long, intending to re-order the poems.

August [20]?

Byron visits E. N. Long on the Channel coast at Little Hampton, near Worthing.

Byron takes rooms at the Dolphin Inn.

The friends pass their days in shooting pistols, playing cricket, and swimming.

September

Byron returns to Southwell.

He revises his poems and engages in amateur theatricals where he plays the roles of Penruddock in Cumberland's Wheel of Fortune and Tristram Fickle in Allingham's Weathercock.

Byron visits Harrogate with John Pigot.

October

Though reluctant to believe his servant Frank (Francis Boyle) dishonest, Byron has his Rooms at Trinity College inventoried.

Frank is eventually transported for stealing from his master.

November

Fugitive Pieces privately printed without Byron's name on the title-page. Many of Byron's Southwell friends were shocked by some passages in "To Mary." According to Rev. John Becher, the lines were "too warmly drawn."

November 26

As a result of Becher's criticism, Byron calls in and destroys most of the volumes of Fugitive Pieces.

Only four (among them Becher's copy) survive.

December

Byron revises Fugitive Pieces.

According to Leslie Marchand,

"The general effect of [Byron's] excisions and prunings was to make the second volume [Poems on Various Occasions] more sedate and at the same time less distinguishable from any other juvenile collection of sentimental and imitative verse. . . . Sincere as may have been his tributes. . ., the artificiality of his style did not give Byron an opportunity to display his talents for realism, incisiveness, or humor." (B: a Biography 122-123)

In an attempt to force Byron to return to the university, Hanson's partner--Birch--withholds Byron's Chancery allowance.

Year

Date

Chronology Entry

1807

Early January

Poems on Various Occasions is privately printed and ready for distribution. S. and J. Ridge produce about one hundred copies.

January 6

At Dorant's Hotel in London, Byron attempts to raise money.

January 16

Byron arranges through Mrs. Massingbred to receive 3000 from the money-lenders. The agreement stated that Byron would repay 5000 within six months of reaching his majority. Mr. Dorant, the hotel manager, act as Byron's security.

Around February 4

Byron barely avoids a duel with the brother of Julia Leacroft, whom Byron courted until the family of the girl took it too seriously.

Hobhouse said later that they "winked at an intercourse between him and [one] of the daughters in hopes of entangling him in an unequal marriage (104).

April

Byron, though only 5'8", weighs around 202 pounds, placing a tremendous stress on his weak leg.

He begins a regimen of severe dieting.

June

Byron publishes Hours of Idleness, a volume for the public.

According to Marchand, the volume was "imitative, sentimental, and mawkish enough to invide the ridicule of the reviewers" (B:B 129).

June 27

Byron finally returns to Cambridge, but only for a brief visit.

He bids farewell to John Edleston, but becomes better acquainted with John Cam Hobhouse and Charles Skinner Matthews.

July 6

Byron establishes himself at Gordon's Hotel, London.

He oversees the distribution of his volume both to booksellers and to reviewers.

August 17

Col. George Leigh--son of General Charles Leigh and Frances Byron (sister of John Byron, Augusta's and Byron's father)--finally marries his cousin Augusta after a long delay caused by the objections of his family.

August 20

Byron returns to Cambridge.

October

The autumn term begins at Cambridge. Reverend George Frederick Tavell becomes Byron's new tutor. Friendships develop with Hobhouse and Francis Hodgson; and Byron meets Scrope Berdmore Davies. A caustic review of Hours appears in the Satirist.

October 26

Byron's "new" poem, a satire, reaches 380 lines.

November 11

At Ridge's urging, Byron agrees to a new edition of Hours of Idleness, but suppresses the original preface.

December 7

Byron receives a complimentary letter from the Earl of Carlisle, and Byron chooses to dedicate the second edition of Hours to the Earl.

December 22

Byron writes to a London bookseller, Crosby, to offer a joint publication between himself and Hobhouse.

Both had written satires, Hobhouse's in imitation of Juvenal, Byron's a "Dunciad" on all living authors.

Christmas

Still in financial straits, Byron leaves Cambridge for good, returning only to visit friends.